Preview: England vs India, 4th ODI

After the Test series white-wash, no less a person than Harsha Bhogle had said that if India go into the ODI series down 0-2 after the first two ODIs, it could quickly turn into a tour that the team wanted to just end quickly so that they could go home. The first ODI was washed out, the second converted to a virtual Twenty20 match, but the fact remains that after two ODIs that delivered results, India are exactly 0-2 down. However, given that India showed some spirit and fight in the third ODI, perhaps all is not yet lost for the tourists.

India: The third ODI was the first match in which the opening combination for the limited overs leg totally failed, but both Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane have displayed enough glimpses of good batting to allow them their failures. Rahane, in particular, has youth firmly on his side, and has shown great composure in the innings he has batted in, and should be persisted with, even if he has the odd failure. The most positive aspect for India in the last match was the performance of Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja had come in from the cold, was carrying the burden of a lot of negative expectations, but managed to shrug it all aside and play like a seasoned veteran with both bat and ball. Perhaps his spell away from the national side has awakened a fiercer desire, but the Jadeja on show in the last ODI, was different from the man who had represented India in the past. This version seemed mentally stronger, more focussed and therefore capable of delivering a stronger performance. In the absence of Yuvraj, the resurgence of Jadeja is just what team India needed. Now they just need either the rest of the batting to fire together, or the bowling to put in a much superior performance to notch up a first win on tour.

England: England's win in the previous ODI would have added to their already considerable self-confidence reservoir. They were in a spot of bother, and many sides less imbued with the winning habit or the all-round depth of England, would have found it tough to cross the line. However, the fact that England did go on to win the match was a testament both to their self-belief and to the great depth the side has with quality all-rounders present. The only worry for the hosts was that many batsmen looked very uncomfortable against the turning ball, and if the pitch at Lord's is slightly worn out, the English batsmen could be in for fresh challenges. The bowling has consistently been superior to their opponents, and that has allowed England to get victories that a stronger opposition bowling attack wouldn't have conceded. However, England's bowling with the white ball is still not a patch on their bowling with the red ball, and the attack that looked absolutely menacing in the Test series, has looked merely adequate in the limited-overs series. If England need to guard against one thing, it is an Indian batsman running away with the game, and if they prevent a big score by any one batsman, the bowlers will have done their job.

Weather Update: The forecast if for light rains, which makes it fairly certain that rains will interrupt the match at some point. There was no rain forecast for the previous match, and it was shortened, while the forecasts for the first two matches also were a lot less severe than the actual interruptions.

Last Word: This is India's last chance to salvage something from a largely forgettable tour. If they lose this match, the ODI series will also go to England and that will be a scarcely befitting result for the World Champions.